President Enid takes DG Manek to Prison for two hours

By Hannington Sebuliba

It is unusual for a president of a Rotary Club to take a District Governor to Prison, but this time President Enid Asingwire of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi had to take District Governor Geeta Manek to Kigo Prison.

The reason for taking her to prison was not for criminal charges to but to visit the Kigo Prison inmates who are part of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi’s  Women Inmate’s Craft Project and to launch the  Functional Adult Literacy Project. 

The day was Wednesday August 8, 2012, the gates of the Prison were opened to usher in the members of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi. The Prisoners clad in their yellow Uniforms (men) and Pink for women wera ll happy to see Rotarians coming to their facility.  We were welcomed to ululations and drum beats. You could note that these people were really happy to receive the visitors.

They sang songs welcoming us to the prison and danced the traditional kiganda bakisimba dance which led to the District Governor to shake a bit to the beat. It was an evening to remember.

President  Enid told the District Governor that  the Club  had decided to start a Functional Adult Literacy Project in the Prison to enable Prisoners leave the facility with skills.

One of the female inmates who had benefitted from the Craft project told the District Governor that  the project had equipped them with skills and now they have something to do behind the walls of the Prisohn. “ When we go back to our homes we shall not be the same because we shall come out with skills in making mats” she narrated.  “Whatever we do, is sold and the money is deposited on our accounts and we use for our own benefit, as you see all these ladies look great” she said amidst applause from fellow inmates. She was also happy that the Functional Adult Literacy programme was going to be launched to enable them learn how to read and write.

As the fellow prisoners narrated how they came to prison in a song, many of the Rotarians including the DG Geeta Manek and AG Ann Munywevu could not  hold their tears back since the story was very emotional.  In a part they were saying that we are the mothers of Uganda, please treat us like human beings.

As if that wasn’t enough, another prisoner, this time a male one  sang while playing  a guitar narrating how a thieve called Kapere lost his  life because of being un-repentant. He was advocated for parents to give parental guidance to their children.

On her part, the District Governor Geeta Manek, was happy to be in Prison for the first time, she told prisoners that she knows that is was not their fault that they were in prison but it is society that had failed them and that they shouldn’t be in prison “ You should all be in gainful employment, the ladies should be at home looking for your children and the men should be out looking after your families.” She counseled them. She appealed to them to follow what the prison warders tell them so that they go back to society when they are reformed people.

DG Geeta  told the Rotarians of Kajjansi that they had moved her to tears “ I cannot thank you enough because you’ve moved me to tears, you are truly,  truly serving above self” she confessed . She added that they would have chosen another project  “ You could have chosen a million projects but you chose to come to this place where you are needed most. This is a place where you are needed because these are our brothers and sisters that we have failed as a society” she said.  She went on to say that the fact that Kajjansi had recognized that there was need here, there was need to give them more support, more skills and to do better so that it becomes an exemplary poject. She said that this was the most touching humanitarian experience she had ever had.

The Officer in charge of Kigo Prison a lady thanked the Rotary Club of Kajjansi for choosing to take such a project to the facility. She said that she was short of words.  “This a miracle to Uganda Prisons, I want to appreciate Commissioner General Dr. Johnson Byabashaija who open the doors for  Inmates to receive visitors from outside” she said adding that “ We are saying bring more.” She said that 52% of them are young men. “ Rotary has played a big role in this place, we appreciate. They have gone ahead to bring here a new project Functional Adult Literacy which you are launching today” she said. She went to request that  Rotary gives them computers so that inmates learn how to use them and also requested the DG to arrange Prisoners from Kigo to go and visit their fellow in-mates in Kenya see that things are done.

After launching the project and buying some of the products done by the inmates, the Board members went to Rtn. Apollo’s Kigo Beach for a meeting with the District Governor. She was happy to see that Kajjansi had done the meeting in  fashionable way which made it a club that is very innovative.

At the end they  had a photo shoot by the lake showers showing how “we are this close” to eradicating Polio